Organ and choir stalls
Highlights of the Cathedral / Organ and choir stalls
In the central nave of the Cathedral, above the canonical choir stalls, you can see the organ casing, designed in the form of a majestic retable standing 20 metres high and 9 metres wide.
The design of the casing is an adaptation by the architect Jaume Amigó of the initial design presented in 1561 by Pere Rabassa and Salvador Estrada, organ builders from Barcelona. The carvers of the entire sculptural ensemble were Jeroni Xanxo and Perris Ostris, who worked on it between 1562 and 1567.
Its three sections, carved in Flanders oak, cypress, poplar, elm and yew, closely follow the stylistic canons of the Plateresque renaissance following the classical order and featuring tondos with effigies and the characteristic horror vacui created with exceptional virtuosity.
The entire set of hangings, the cloths that concealed the instrument’s pipes, is still preserved today, of which the two main ones are still in use and can be seen flanking the central section. The inner hangings, visible when the hinged doors are open, depict the Birth and Resurrection of Christ, while the outer ones form a large Annunciation, with the archangel Gabriel on one door and the Virgin Mary on the other. The ensemble is the work of the painters Pere Serafí and Pietro Paolo da Montalbergo between 1563 and 1565.
Choir stalls
The choir stalls were previously located in the centre of the Cathedral. In 1963, part of the choir stalls were moved to the current chancel, and the first section was enclosed with the partition walls from the original choir stalls built during the first third of the 14th century.
During the prelature of Pere d'Urrea, at the end of the 15th century, the magnificent choir stalls were carved out of Flanders oak by the Aragonese craftsman Francisco Gomar. The backs of the central nave’s choir stalls are decorated with tracery and inlaid work.
The scrolls on the armrests of the whole ensemble are beautifully decorated with floral, mythological and animal motifs. The pontifical seats, which head both sections of the choir stalls, were carved by Joan de Tours and Enric de Borgonya in 1534.
